CRUX’S JOHN ALLEN BELIEVES THAT CARDINAL AMBONGO COULD BE THE NEXT POPE GIVEN HIS ORTHODOX MORALITY AND SOUND CATHOLIC FAITH

Some would have us believe that Pope Francis graciously backed downed from forcing Africa to eat the pork of same sex sex (sodomy) blessings. In fact, Cardinal Ambongo forced Pope Francis to allow Africa to have a dispensation from blessing sodomy and the couples who glory in it. 

Cardinal Ambongo was able to get the entire continent of African bishops to back his quest to get the pope to allow them to follow orthodox Catholic morality by not blessing those couples who publicly live in sin, the sin of sodomy, because if the Pope had forced the issue as he has done so in suppressing the TLM communities, a whole continent would have gone into schism due to the pope’s heterodoxy. No matter how it comes about, schism is schism and is a mortal sin like same sex sex. 

Not in my lifetime or in anyone’s lifetime since the Great Schism in 1054, has an entire continent threatened to separate from the pope due to the pope’s novel new teaching on blessing couples engaged in public sin. 

John Allen who lives in Rome, believes that what Cardinal Ambongo was able to do with Pope Francis makes him a strong, orthodox potential new pope at the next conclave, especially his moral orthodoxy which Pope Francis has wrongheadedly and stubbornly undermined during his papacy. 

Here is the money byte from John Allen’s Crux article which you can read in full HERE:

To begin with, it marks the first time the bishops of an entire continent have said that a Vatican edict will not be applied on their territory. Given how difficult it generally is to get an unwieldy body of bishops to agree on anything, the compact and rapid fashion in which SECAM responded is, inter alia, a testament to Ambongo’s leadership.

Moreover, the SECAM statement is also striking for the manner in which it was worked out in concert with the pope and his top advisors.

Ambongo has told the story in a conversation with a French Catholic blog. After soliciting the responses of the African bishops’ conferences to Fiducia, he flew to Rome to share them with the pope. Francis asked him to work with Argentine Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Ambongo did, consulting the pontiff along the way, so that when the SECAM statement appeared, it carried a de facto seal of papal approval.

In other words, Ambongo found a way for the Africans to have their cassava and eat it too – opposing the pope, at least indirectly, but without seeming disloyal. That’s one of the most difficult needles to thread in Catholic life, and the artful fashion in which Ambongo pulled it off has turned heads.

DAMNABLE DOUBLE ALTARS—WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END?

 

WILD HAIR-ON-FIRE CATHOLIC NEWS ROUND-UP CONCERNING F******S*********!

O my, the Holy Father continues to defend the extremely silly non-liturgical, informal, non-scripted blessings for couples living in sin as couples. Now he says that His Holiness’ critics, except for Africa which has totally trashed FS, are ideologues who are basically dumb asses who don’t get it but if they were smart enough they would understand, but Africa is a separate situation since their culture abhors homosexual sodomy while the west, I guess, enjoys/loves sodomy and thus doesn’t find it abhorrent. The west loves sin and sinners unlike Africa. 

This is the Twilight Zone as it concerns the papacy, no?

A revered and respected theologian under Pope Benedict XVI (not respected by Pope Francis) writes that FS should be rewritten and Cardinal Fernandez either fired or should resign. You can read what this respected theologian says:

Leading Vatican theologian says Fiducia Supplicans is not part of the ‘authentic Magisterium’

And now that brave African Cardinal claims that F******S********* is anti-synodal and should be trashed on that basis. You can read the Crux article:

African cardinal says ‘Fiducia’ has discredited synod on synodality

ALMOST ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE DICASTERY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH KNEW NOTHING ABOUT F******S******** READING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN IT WAS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC!

La Croix brought more information about the sausage-making of F******S*********. What I learned is that even the Curia is upset about how this document came about. We already know that the Prefect for the Dicastery of Divine Worship was ticked off that his dicastery wasn’t consulted about the so-called non-liturgical, non-official blessings that priests are suppose to give to couples living in sin, not blessing the sin, but the couples. 

Now, it appears that even the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Office once called Holy, did not know about the document prior to its release. The first time they read it was the first time that everyone else read it. Only Cardinal Fernandez and the DDF undersecretary plus the pope who signed off on it knew about it ahead of time. Dysfunction anyone?

Now, normally, I don’t care about the details of how documents come about from the Vatican.

But we have a pope who constantly says, dialogue, dialogue, dialogue, consult, consult, consult. He’s into synodality, listening to others. This was once called collegiality. 

As it concerns this document, neither synodality, collegiality, subsidiaitity or consultation with a wide range of theologians and bishops, not to mention the lay faithful, took place. 

Thus far, it is faithful Catholics who oppose the silly new “doctrine” of what is called informal blessings which some progressive bishops are saying priests must give if asked, informal blessings, that is.

It appears that the Vatican’s Curia is in a state of chaos and dysfunction as is the College of Bishops and the separate College of Cardinals. In fact the whole Church is in disarray and grotesque polarization right now compared to what it was 11 years ago.

I wonder what took place 11 years ago, 3/13/13 to be exact, that has caused all the chaos, polarization, mess and disarray. I just can’t figure it out. 

THIS REALLY DOES SCARE ME!

This is reported by The Pillar. Press the italicized sentence which takes you to The Spectator and an “X” link that you can hear and watch what is written in the sentence! 

It is great on one level, but opens the political world to a dangerous level of double talk.. Also, if a pope is incapacitated and a rogue cardinal starts using AI to make the pope look alive and healthy and the pope starts saying we can bless homosexual unions of all kinds and situations, can you only imagine a puppet pope by AI allowing this?

(Check out this rant) about this shiny new breed of AI software that allowed a speech at Davos, delivered in Spanish by the Argentine president, to be seamlessly and simultaneously rendered into English, in his own voice and accent, with his mouth augmented to fluently fit the translation.

POPE FRANCIS ENGAGES IN MORE DAMAGE CONTROL CONCERNING F*****S******

This Friday morning, January 26, Pope Francis engaged in more damage control. This is what His Holiness stated as reported by Vatican News with my  astute comments embedded in the text in RED.

Pastoral blessings

It was "in this context of evangelisation,” Pope Francis continued, that he wanted to mention the recent Declaration Fiducia supplicans.

The purpose of the “pastoral and spontaneous blessings” discussed in the Declaration, the Pope stressed, is to “concretely show the closeness of the Lord and the Church to all those who, finding themselves in different situations, ask for help to continue—sometimes to begin—a journey of faith.” (This appears as a non-starter as I have had individual homosexuals make appointments with me to discuss their situation. Often times they would ask for a blessing or ask to go to Confession. I can count on one hand the number of times I felt I could not offer absolution due to the nature of the confession and no desire to repent; what is confessed is bragging. But in lieu of absolution, I offer a blessing. I have had gay parishioners in couple relationships who attend Mass together. They attend Mass! They receive the blessings of the Mass to include the Final Blessing. They can attend Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament and other liturgies that include blessings. I just don’t get what the pope is saying. As far as FS, if I am asked, and I have never been asked by a homosexual couple for a blessing together, but if it does happen, I will offer a simply Sign of the Cross, individually over both of them and ask that they be open to the moral teachings of the Church.)

In this regard, the Pope emphasized two points.

Firstly, he said, “these blessings, outside of any liturgical context and form, do not require moral perfection to be received.” (Nor does attending Mass require moral perfection. This statement is a smoke screen and insults our intelligence! Although one must be in a state of grace to receive Holy Communion. I would say that about 80% or more of Catholics who present themselves for Holy Communion are not in a state of grace as they no longer go to Confession. They will have to explain themselves to God at their particular judgement, not me.)

 Secondly, he noted, “when a couple spontaneously approaches [a minister] and asks for them, he is not blessing the union, but simply the people who together have requested it.” 

“Not the union,” the Pope stressed, “but the persons, naturally taking into account the context, sensitivities, the places where one lives, and the most appropriate ways to do it.” 

 (To be honest with you, if I were in a sexual homosexual union, why in the name of God and all that is holy would I ask a bishop, priest, or deacon to bless my lover and me together, especially if I am in a civilly recognized “marriage” other than to bless the union? I would be pissed off that the pope is saying my union can’t be blessed. Why submit myself to a blessing if my union isn’t also blessed as I love my partner and the union???? Again, as a priest, I would simply bless both, but with individual Signs of the Cross. But I have to ask bishops, when your priests start blessing couples at civil ceremonies and in church before the altar and in a liturgical setting, will they be suspended and removed from a parish like the Bishop of Covington, Kentucky recently did with two priests who celebrate the TLM exclusively and said the reformed Mass did not preserve enough of Catholic tradition and that the reformed Mass was not needed? Will Cardinal Cupich treat the pastor of Saint Sabina in the same way—suspend him? And when he liturgically blesses homosexual “married” couples will he be suspended?????)

OKAY, I AM TIRED OF THIS! IT‘S MAKING ME ANGRY NOW

 Bishop Marini celebrates Mass in one of his very traditional churches. Please note the altar railing cloth, which I suppose means that communicants kneel at the railing to receive Holy Communion.

But, and this but is what makes me angry, look at the double altars! Double Altars, I say! How ridiculous to clutter the sanctuary with back to back altars, one of which, the new one, is completely unnecesary!

And to add insult to injury, please note the candle arrangement on the rinky-dink new altar, two rinky-dink candles to one side, no balance and compared to what is behind the rinky-dink altar, a traditional one, it is ridiculous as well as so sad. Sad I say!

And don’t get me started on the floral arrangement directly in front of the rinky-dink altar. Ugh!!!!

I LIKE IT! I LIKE IT! I LIKE IT! EXCEPT…

 To be honest with you, the more modern look isn’t that bad and since I am a “anxious Annie” when it comes to spending money, or asking money for projects, I would have simply done a simple renovation with an added altar railing 

But the renovation is very nicely done. EXCEPT: I don’t like the bar that runs through the vertical look of the back wall where the altar is, with the Latin words inscribed. To me it is jarring and too heavy for this space. But that is all I can say that is wrong. EXCEPT: The original crucifix should have been retained and the image of the Madonna and Child place elswhere. Not sure why the image of the Madonna and Child was placed above the altar and crucifix as the church’s name is Holy Innocents. I do like the Lamb of God stained glass window, just not the bar with the Latin words. But no one asked me!

I do like the airiness of the new altar railing. It is present but not intrusive. It is placed only one step up from the nave of the church making it very easy to use and to allow either standing or kneeling at the full length of the railing. 

Press the title for the full story and additional photos:

Before and After: Holy Innocents in Long Beach, CaliforniaMoney byte:

The parish, liturgically, follows a very "Benedictine" model (as in, Pope Benedict XVI) with Masses in both the ancient and modern rites, as well as a primary Sunday Mass in Latin-English, with additional Masses also available in Spanish and English. The parish also, as you will no doubt infer from the sanctuary design, offers all its Masses ad orientem. 

DUH! DO YA THINK?

 

Cardinal Zen warns of ‘error’ in Fiducia Supplicans, calls for Cdl. Fernández to resign

Cardinal Zen asked: 'If the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is committing a heresy by claiming a serious sin as ‘good,’ then shouldn't the Prefect resign or be dismissed?'

NOW HERE’S AN AFRICAN CARDINAL THAT COULD WELL BE THE NEXT POPE OR AT LEAST WE CAN PRAY IT TO BECOME TRUE

 Are there any courageous American or Canadian Cardinals who could pull off what Cardinal Besungu pulled off with a dictate of Pope Francis, so horribly wrong, that a second grader could figure that out?

Maybe Cardinal O’Malley could have done so if he were younger. He certainly called Pope Francis out about the pope’s blind spot or ambivalence toward sex abusers like Bishop John Barros which Pope Francis appointed supported by calling out those who pointed out to Pope Francis the corruption of the man or Pope Francis two friends, Bishop Zanchetta and Father Rupnick. There are others of course and Pope Francis just this week suggested to a meeting of Catholic journalists that they avoid immodesty in reporting clerical sex scandals, that it is better to keep some stuff quiet. 

And that cover-up is what enabled the scandal to rise to the level it has. And I have said that Pope Francis is an enabler of immorality but under the guise of a new doctrine of “Pastoral Dogma.” 

Cardinal Explains How African Rejection of ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ Was Handled

MONEY BYTE (PRESS TITLE ABOVE FOR FULL NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER ARTICLE:

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), recently recounted step by step how the rejection of the blessing of homosexual couples was handled on the African continent and at the Vatican.

In a recording of an interview posted on the French lay Catholic blog “Le Salon Beige,” the cardinal explained what happened in Africa after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), headed by Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, published the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which allows the blessing of same-sex couples and couples in irregular situations.

“When on Dec. 18, we received the document Fiducia Supplicans, signed by the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and co-signed by His Holiness Pope Francis, it caused a shockwave in Africa. We didn’t understand what was happening at the Church level. Furthermore, other churches that called us said: ‘We count on the Catholic Church to oppose this ideology. Now, you are the first to authorize the blessing of homosexual couples.’”

“All of you, all of you, have suffered for this. A lot. Everyone has suffered for this,” the African cardinal lamented.

BOMBSHELL! TRADTIONAL LATIN MASS CELEBRATED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.’S CAPITOL BUILDING!

 You would think, though, they could have found a better table, or better decorated table, to be the altar, no?

Read the Pillar Story by pressing title:

Capitol Latin Mass: ‘Traditional Catholics are not terrorists’

About 50 Catholics attended a Traditional Latin Mass in the U.S. Capitol Tuesday

THE PILLAR
January 23, 2024

WELL, WELL, WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE KING DAVID

At daily Mass, our Old Testament readings for the last week or so has been about King David, a sexual sinner and also, by the way, a  murderer. He was corrupt. 

Yet he was a good king with feet of clay and genitals nothing to brag about. 

It looks like America may once again elect a king David figure, Donald Trump. His sexual sins can now be blessed by the Church. His corruption may be another matter, but let’s face it, he’s no worse and no better than King David.

Four years of lying Trump, corrupt Trump and despicable Trump led to four years of no wars that concerned America. It let to a Supreme Court that overturned Roe V. Wade and it provided economic stability.

I know this will drive some crazy, but most Catholic countries like Italy, don’t care about the religiousity or sanctimonious morality of their political candidates, not one iota. 

Should we give into Protestant puritanicalism as it concerns our political leaders? It doesn’t seem to me to be the Catholic way. 

Trump will be the Republican candidate for the President of the USA. Do we want a corrupt moral figure, meaning Joe Biden who is suffering from dementia, or do we want a corrupt moral figure, who has energy and will be the Republican candidate unless the Democrats can convict him or the Supreme Court declares that he can’t run because of his indictments and moral morass? 

Time will tell. 

A King David who is strong and well-built, sexy and adulterous and murderous might be better than a corrupt Catholic who is senile but goes the Mass each Saturday Night. 

What to do? What to do? Oh! What are we to do????

A HEALTHY PASTORAL THEOLOGY THAT IS PRIVATE, SAFE AND THE LESSER OF EVILS…A PASTORAL THEOLOGY THAT IS AN ART AND NEVER LIFTED TO A DOCTRINE OR DOGMA

Many of you may remember the late Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Before he died, each year at this time of year  Seton Hall University provided a priests’ workshop in Palm Beach, Florida at the Vincentian Monastery there. Priests flocked there to escape the cold weather in other places. Fr. Benedict was always the keynote speaker and offered many sessions. 

Fr..Groeschel was a great and entertaining teacher of the Catholic Faith. He was extremely pastoral, understood the human situation but clear in presenting the Catholic Church’s faith and morals for complex situations. He was orthodox to say the least.

However, I remember one presentation he gave where he used the example of a young man he had been counseling. This man had suffered tremendous sexual abuse as a child and teenager. He had same sex attraction and as a result of his horrible abuse, had become very promiscuous to an unbelievable level. 

The young man was Catholic and believed in God as the Church teaches, but he suffered from sexual addiction and compulsions. 

Fr. Groeschel went on to say that the young man had become very close friends with another man and because of the love that was shown to him and the stability that this man brought to his life, that he was able to overcome his sexual compulsions and addictions that resulted in an extremely promiscuous life. 

Fr. Groeschel counseled us priests that we need to be careful with parishioners of this type and not place burdens on them that could crush them and lead them back to a more disordered life. While this person and his partner were in a sinful relationship, it, nonetheless, has brought maturity to the individual who was in such dire moral straits. His moral life had improved although still sinful or irregular. 

Fr. Groeschel certainly would not have blessed these two as a couple, but certainly would offered each of them individual blessings and would have prayed for their continuing sexual maturity and conversion. 

Most priests and bishops don’t need the Vatican telling us to offer blessing to couples living in sin; but before FS, most of us priests were and are pastoral, compassionate and would offer personal prayers and individual blessings to people in need of God’s love and mercy. 

Fr. Groeschel was a great example of orthodoxy and true pastoral sensitivity. He was always clear and coherent in his teachings while pastoral and understanding of human nature and its disorders of whatever type. 

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT: THE COUNTRY THAT BROUGHT US THE HERETICAL DUTCH CATHECHISM IS NOW BRINGING US ORTHODOXY AS IT CONCERNS CASUAL BLESSINGS RAISED TO A DOCTRINE BY THE VATICAN!

 This is big, because it is from the Dutch Bishops!

How cool would it be that a Dutch Cardinal, let me repeat that, a Dutch Cardinal, Willem Cardinal Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht, if His Eminence became the next pope! Wow, that would be cool!

Press title for the Catholic Herald article!

Chaos deepens as Dutch bishops collectively reject blessings for same-sex couples

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PROMOTION OF THE WORD OF GOD SUNDAY?

Blessing of Bibles in 2020 at St. Anne Church in Richmond Hill, Georgia:

Is your parish celebrating “The Word of God Sunday” which, for the last five years, is on the Third Sunday of Blah, I mean, Ordinary Time?

Was it even mentioned?

I saw no advertisements about it or suggestions to celebrate it from either the Dioceses of Charleston or of Savannah.

When I was pastor at St. Anne’s in Richmond Hill, we encouraged parishioners to bring their home bibles to Mass on this Sunday for their Bibles to be blessed. There was a Gospel procession and the Gospel was chanted. 

The homily made reference to the Word of God in our Catholic life and spirituality.

I wonder how many parishes throughout the world celebrate the Word of God Sunday instituted by Pope Francis. Why is it being ignored? 

THOSE RECENTLY READING MY MOST HUMBLE BLOG…

 

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